Welcome, Lola, and congrats for the Books for the Teen Age add! Grab some coffee, get comfy in the beautician’s chair, and let’s get down to the gossip.

Tell us the truth—when’s the last time you’ve treated yourself to a manicure?

It’s been a while – since early February, I think. I should take better care of my nails than I do. Now that I think about it, that’s the last time I had my brows done as well. I better make some appointments!

Ever had a major hair disaster? If so, what was done to correct it?

God, yes. Tons. The worst was probably this one time when I went to get highlights and came out with these thick chunks of bleached out hair. Keep in mind I’m a deep brunette. I looked like an Asian crack whore! I went back to the salon and they did three rinses to bring the bleached bits up to a normal tone.

Oh man, that is a hair disaster, my dear! Okay, what beauty product can you not live without?

I only get one?

Sorry, just one.

Um, in that case, I’ll go with Kiss My Face lip balm – the ginger is my favorite. I am addicted to lip balm. I cannot live without moisture on my lips at all times.

In my novel, there’s a lot of “Hypothetical Questions of the Week.” So here’s some for you:
HQ #1: If you could hit the rewind button, which movie screenplay do you wish you could have written?

Irreconcilable Differences. It’s an underrated film starring Drew Barrymore, Ryan O’Neal, and Shelley Long. Oh, and Sharon Stone before she was famous. It’s absolutely heartbreaking. I cry every single time I see it. Still.

HQ #2: Your agent just called. TV execs are offering you a spot on a new reality show for writers. Do you say yes? If so, how would you be portrayed? (i.e. the boss, whiner, bore, paranoid-wreck, etc.?)

Of course! I would be the smart, bitchy, driven diva that everyone likes to gang up on because secretly they’re all intimidated by her intelligence and confidence. See: Tiffany on TOP CHEF, Carissa on TOP DESIGN, etc., etc.

HQ #3: You’re a big time celebrity who just had a baby. (Congratulations.) If you were competing with other celebrities for the most bizarre baby name, what would it be?

Saffron. It’s my favorite spice.

HQ #4: Hollywood called—they’re making a movie based on your book. Which actors or actresses would make an ideal cast for your main characters?

I think Hayden Panettiere would make a great Morgan, with Danielle Pannebaker as Emily and Hunter Parrish (Silas from “Weeds”) as Eli.

HQ #5: Paparazzi are stalking you, looking for shots of odd things authors do while writing, or of rituals they perform before starting. What do they catch you doing, hmm?

Walking my dog in my pajamas, probably. Or driving in said pajamas to go get coffee. At, like, noon.

Here’s some quickies—no more than two words per answer!
Do you . . .
Outline or wing it? WINGSell by proposal or completed draft? COMPLETELove to edit or cringe at the thought? LOVEPrefer writing a new book or marketing the old? NEW

“I’m just a kid, and I don’t know what I’m doing sometimes. But I think you should know better when you’re all grown up. I think you should know how to act, and how to treat people. And I think if you once loved someone enough to marry them, you should at least be nice to them, even if you don’t love ’em any more. And I think if you have a child, you should treat that child like a human being and not like a pet. Not like you treat your dog or somethin’. You know, when you have a dog sometimes you forget he’s there, and then when you get lonely suddenly you remember him, and you remember how cute he is and stuff, and you kiss him a lot, but then the next day when you’re busy again you don’t notice him. That’s how I’ve been treated for the past 4 years, and you don’t treat your kid like your dog. It’s not right.”

Hello and welcome! I’m a writer, runner, reader, Disney lover, journal addict, Joyful Miles founder, wife of a great guy for 28 years, and mom of two awesome boys. I’m also 50. Fabulous, liberating things happen when you turn 50.

Here’s where I chat about writing, books, planners, and journaling. To follow my running and runDisney adventures, head on over to Joyful Miles. If it confusing having two blogs? A wee bit. But I’m figuring things out as I go along.